The present invention relates to a labelling system for marking the price or the identity of products, such as delicatessen or cheeses at a manned service counter, said system including a foot-mounted label or sign.
One problem encountered when selling products such as cheese and delicatessen for instance, particularly at manned service counters, is that the products, for instance cheeses and sausages, must carry an appropriate label or sign that tells the customer the price and/or the name of the product concerned. It is also often necessary to remove the sign completely or move the sign and then return it to the product after the counter attendant has cut away a piece of the product requested by the customer.
One type of known sign includes a needle that is stuck into the product. This type of price sign is now used to a much lesser extent and is forbidden in many parts of the world since foreign substances, for instance harmful micro-organisms, can readily accompany the needle into the product.
Instead, it has been necessary to use foot-mounted signs with the sign standing on the product concerned, said foot being made relatively heavy so that the center of gravity of the sign will be located in the proximity of the surface of the foot on which the sign is mounted. The foot may be shaped or capable of being shaped to ensure that the sign will rest stably on top of a non-planar surface, for instance on a sausage. However, the shapes and slopes of the products vary greatly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,587 describes price signs of the aforesaid kind. Although the foot can be shaped, it is still necessary for the foot to be shaped to the display position of the product concerned, and the shape or contours of the product will often vary after a piece of the product has been removed for sale.
One problem associated with such products is that they do not provide a stable and unitary support for a moveable price sign that may not be affixed to the product with the aid of a needle and which cannot be placed adjacent the product for practical reasons.
One object of the invention is to provide a marking system which enables the sign to be readily placed firmly on the product concerned and to be replaced thereon after having been moved temporarily from said product.
This object is achieved with a marking system according to the accompanying claim 1.
Further embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent Claims.
According to one illustrative embodiment of the invention, an iron plate is encapsulated in an elastic band that embraces the product and holds the plate firmly there against. The foot of the price sign is provided with a permanent magnet that connects the sign releasably to the foot. This enables the sign to be easily removed from the plate and replaced on the plate, even when said plate is inclined steeply to the horizontal plane. The elastic band carrying the plate can be easily moved along the product so as to enable pieces or slices to be cut from the product in accordance with the customer""s wishes. The elastic band carrying the plate can also be easily removed if cutting of the product should so require, and then replaced on the product. This avoids the introduction of contaminants inwardly of the outer surface of the product. The skilled person will realise the other advantages that are afforded by the invention.
The skilled person will also realise that the plate may consist of a permanent magnet while the foot of the sign consists of a thermomagnetic material.